The first two signings of January have been swiftly concluded by Leeds United - but the expectation is that they may have tied up the majority of their business already.

Leeds have been insistent that the winter window will be a quiet one for them - and it's not difficult to understand why.

January is a time when managers are loathe to lose players given how tight the timescale is to replace any outgoings and usually it is only players who are either unwanted, running down their deals or those available for loan who make the move.

There are obvious exceptions to the rule but generally there is little value to be found in the market as price tags are driven up and Leeds are conscious of that.

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Their attitude towards the transfer window is that should an exceptional opportunity arise, they will look to take it, but are not in desperate need of reinforcements unlike other Championship clubs.

Thomas Christiansen has guided Leeds to the top six in the first half of the season and believes that the players that have led that charge are capable of finishing off the job in the second half of the season.

Except we've been here before - and recent memory should inform the decision makers that January offers an opportunity for consolidation.

Last season Leeds allowed the January transfer window to pass by without conducting much major business, barring the permanent addition of loanee Pablo Hernandez, and as a result, their bid to finish in the play-offs ultimately fizzled out.

Pablo Hernandez was Leeds United's sole permanent addition in January last season (Image: Leeds United)

Hernandez was the statement signing and he arrived early on in the window, while loans for Alfonso Pedraza and Modou Barrow were pushed through on deadline day ahead of the window closing.

Pedraza scored just once in 14 appearances while Barrow played only five times.

Instead of providing Leeds with the fillip they needed to bolster the squad and provide an added injection of quality, their signings failed to push the existing squad members and the campaign ended in disappointing fashion.

Leeds had played one game fewer by this time last year and had two more points to sit fifth in the Championship standings and seemingly on course for a top-six finish but they won just six times following the closure of the transfer window.

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Andrea Radrizzani purchased a 50 per cent stake in the club on this day 12 months ago and the changes he has made to make Leeds United a Premier League-ready club deserve huge acclaim.

But the next month may yet prove the biggest test of his ownership yet.

Christiansen, Radrizzani and director of football Victor Orta, along with managing director, Angus Kinnear were due to meet this week to discuss Leeds' transfer plans for the January window and it remains to be seen whether or not the stance has changed.

Kinnear summed up the difficulties of buying in January and why Leeds fans should not expect a multitude of signings in his programme notes ahead of the Norwich City win recently.

He said: “The ability of the squad to cope so admirably with a number of injuries and the undeniable quality that has been shown by players taking their chance in the first team, either for the first team or in a different role, means that our playing solutions for the rest of the season are more likely to come from inside than outside the existing squad.

The Leeds United board have some big decisions to make in the January transfer window (Image: Getty Images)

“The January window will attract the usual media hysteria but it is notoriously difficult to navigate and secure both quality and value.

“If any business is done at Leeds United it will be focused, considered and founded on the meticulous analysis of Victor and his team.”

It reflected the club's belief that they may have many of the pieces to the jigsaw already in place, though the two disappointing results against Birmingham City and Nottingham Forest should have confirmed the need for squad reinforcements.

The two additions Leeds have made in Aapo Halme and Yosuke Ideguchi are unexpected to make a first-team impact before the end of this season.

Halme is described by sources at Leeds as someone who has the potential to work with both the U23s and first-team groups before the end of the season but he is unlikely to receive much exposure in matches at this stage.

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Leeds' need for a left-back is patent and a central midfielder also looks like an essential requirement on the basis of some of the festive fixtures.

Christiansen's side have notched just four goals in their last five fixtures and five from five home games since the resumption of the Championship season in November and nine teams have now scored more goals this season.

Last January offered Leeds United the chance to realise their promotion dream and they didn't take it.

For all the talk of a project being built under Radrizzani's reign and Christiansen's managerial tenure, they have another opening - and this time they have to seize it.